A. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates to an aqueous surface treatment agent particularly a water- and oil-repellent agent, and a soil resistant agent.
B. Background
Conventionally, fluorine-containing water repellent and oil-repellent agents comprising fluorine compounds are known. The water- and oil-repellent agents show good water- and oil-repellency, when substrates such as textiles are treated with the water- and oil-repellent agents.
A report of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “PRELIMINARY RISK ASSESSMENT OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO PERFLUOROOCTANOIC ACID AND ITS SALTS” (http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pfoa/pfoara.pdf)] teaches that PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), one of long-chain fluoroalkyl compounds, is suspected to pose concerns to the environment. Under such a situation, the EPA announced on Apr. 14, 2003 that PFOA should be further investigated.
On the other hand, in the Federal Register (FR Vol. 68, No. 73/Apr. 16, 2003 [FRL-2303-8]) (http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pfoa/pfoafr.pdf), the EPA Environmental News for release Monday April, 2003 “EPA INTENSIFIES SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF A CHEMICAL PROCESSING AID” (http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pfoa/pfoaprs.pdf), and the EPA OPPT FACT SHEET Apr. 14, 2003 (http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pfoa/pfoafacts.pdf) announced that a “telomer” may possibly metabolize or decompose to PFOA (herein, the telomer means a long-chain fluoroalkyl group).
It is also announced that the “telomer” is used in a large number of commercial products including firefighting foams, care products and cleaning products as well as soil, stain and grease resistant coating on carpets, textiles, paper, and leather having the imparted water- and oil-repellency and soil resistance.
There is concern that such fluorine-containing compounds accumulate in the environment. Furthermore, in order to achieve water- and oil-repellency, after fluorine-containing polymers are adhered to substrates such as textiles, the substrate must be heat-treated at a high temperature (for example, 100° C. or more), requiring high energy and ruling out such treatment for substrates that are not stable at such temperatures. Furthermore, the fluorine-containing polymers are relatively expensive.
The fluorine-containing polymers are mainly used as a repellent agent for carpets. However, a fluorine-free repellent agent is desired in view of the environmental problem.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for water- and oil-repellant compositions that are not primarily composed free of fluorine-containing polymers or are free from the fluorine-containing polymers.